The life and works of a Texas Folklore Society cofounder, folk art and architecture along the border, and the interplay between traditional culture and a pop culture franchise are among the topics taking the stage at the 105th Annual Meeting of the Texas Folklore Society.
Newcomer and storyteller Kim Lehman (Smithville) will employ her craft to honor pioneering musicologist John Avery Lomax, who co-founded the Texas Folklore Society with Leonidas W. Payne in 1909 and served as president for two terms, 1940–42. Lomax, who grew up in Bosque County, collected and preserved tens of thousands of folk songs.
TFS Fellows Jim Harris and Mary Harris (Hobbs, NM) will reflect on their travels along the borders of Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico with vivid images of desert folk art that highlight the traditions, customs, and practices of the people of the region.
Newcomer Jill Davis, an instructor at Tarleton State University, will share research on the interplay of Texas cowboy culture and the Star Wars Universe. Both are powerful and enduring cultural phenomena with distinct myths, symbols, and narratives, and Jill will explore their connections and influences on Texas folklore today.
With dozens of submissions to consider and a limited number of spots to fill, Chair MaryAnn Blue (San Antonio) said the Program Committee’s job was not easy.
“The response to our call for papers was overwhelming,” MaryAnn said. “We had twelve places to fill in our program and more than forty abstracts to choose from. The abstracts were exceptional, well-written, and on time. Our decision was extremely difficult.”